NOTE: Special snapper rules apply in South Australia – more info here.
The following advice applies to the Adelaide metro coast and gulf waters.
Adelaide has good fishing in summer, featuring usually warm to hot weather but with strong afternoon sea breezes.
The metro jetties are a special feature for landbased fishos, both near the city and at coastal townships around the two gulfs that make up much of South Australia’s coastline.
The main summer species are garfish, tommy ruffs, yellowfin whiting, flathead, flounder, leatherjackets and squid. Bream tend to be caught higher up rivers in winter, but they are also caught around jetty pylons.
Adelaide’s freshwater fishing for native species is good in summer. Carp are usually active, a great fun fish for families as they have no sharp spines, fight hard and are usually easy to find, even within the CBD’s Torrens River.
Adelaide itself has several metro jetties, as well as the productive Port River estuary, which includes the harbour entrance rock walls. Adelaide’s metro jetties are Brighton, Glenelg, Henley, Grange, Semaphore and Largs Bay.
West Lakes is a reclaimed marsh that is now a saltwater system and a great spot to target large black bream in winter.
Beaches and rock platforms immediately south of Adelaide are quite sheltered, but the southern side of Adelaide’s Fleurieu Peninsula has the more exposed Waitpinga and Parsons surf beaches that fish well for Australian salmon.
Victor Harbour is a popular daytrip, with good fishing off the Granite Island causeway and Screwpile Jetty, and at Port Elliot.
Fish around Adelaide in summer …
Black bream – All year, they move further up waterways like the Onkaparinga River in summer.
Crabs, blue swimmer – Best in summer, day or night.
Flathead – All year, especially good in summer, they bite all day.
Flounder – All year, but the usual method is spearing in the shallows at night in summer.
Garfish – Best in summer/autumn but bigger fish often caught in winter. Dab netting is usually done at night with light at night in summer.
Mulloway – Caught all year. Fish dusk into the night at turn of tide. Also under bridge lights.
Salmon – Small fish show up all year. Best at high tide at dusk and dawn. Big fish best in autumn/winter.
Snapper – All year but best in spring/summer. Best at dusk and dawn and they come in close after stormy weather. Severe snapper fishing restrictions currently apply in SA.
Bluefin tuna – Best in summer. These appear off western SA before Christmas, reaching Port Lincoln about late February, and the eastern SA coast around March, depending on currents. Early season brings the biggest fish, along with albacore.
Snook – Bite all year but best in summer. They often bite well at night under jetty lights.
Squid – Available all year but best when the water is clear, dawn, dusk and night.
Tommy ruffs – All year, but bigger fish in winter. Best at night.
Whiting, king george – All year but often better quality fish in winter, they bite all day but often tide dependent.
Whiting, silver – All year.
Whiting, yellowfin – Best in summer in spots well away from swimmers. Look for nose marks over shallow flats where they feed.
Kingfish – summer.
Silver trevally – summer.
Chow (yakkas) – summer.
Red mullet – all year.
Leatherjackets – all year.
Sweep and zebra fish – all year.
Sharks – all year but better in summer.
Native freshwater fish – summer.
Here is a list of recommended tackle for SA waters.
Here is the SA seasonal fishing calendar for various fish species.
Adelaide (Outer Harbour) tides
West Beach webcam
SA fishing regulations
SA marine parks
SA stocked dams
SA dam water levels
Murray River fishing spots
Email corrections, additions, pictures or video here.
